Railway refrigerator car door



Nov. 6, 1956 E. P. WRIGHT RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25, 1955 Nov. 6, 1956 E. P. WRIGHT RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Edward P. Wright, Glendale, Calif., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois Application November 25L 19513, Serial No. 394,417 9 Claims. or. 20-23 The invention relates in general to sliding doors for refrigerator cars and, more particularly, to means for effective and facile opening, sealingly closing, and locking of a door of the type mounted on traveling carriages by upright crank shafts.

One object of this invention is to provide mechanism for simultaneous rotation of the crank shafts to remove a tightly wedged door from its opening or to wedge the door into its opening.

Another object is to provide a wheel mechanism, arranged for continuous rotation in one direction to un-. lock a door and cause same to be swung outwardly for full opening and arranged for rotation in the opposite direction to swing the door inwardly for tight closure within its opening and to be locked therein.

A further object is to provide a mechanism for opening and closing sliding doors which embodies reciprocally movable bolt-forming means for engagement with the car side wall to prevent premature opening of the door.

7 Another object is to provide a door construction for refrigerator cars having novel sealing means for reliably and positively preventing heat transfer between the door frame and the door when the latter is closed.

A further object is to provide a mechanism for sliding doors comprising a simplicity of parts which are durable in operation and which may be economically manufactured.

These and other detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the companion drawings in which- Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a car having a door with a mechanism of the present invention mounted thereon, said door being in closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse detail section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal transverse section taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar section showing the door in unlocked position.

Figure 5 is a similar section showing the door in full open position.

In the drawings, 1 designates the side wall of a refrigerator car having a door opening 2 and a door 3. Mounted on the exterior face of door 3 is a pair of spaced, parallel, vertically disposed operating shafts 4, 5, the upper and lower ends of which are journaled in bearing brackets 6 on door 3. On the projecting ends of each of shaft 4, 5, are cranks 7 which are operably connected to carrier 8 journaling rollers 9, whereby door 3 travels along upper and lower tracks 10, 11 mounted on car side Wall 1.

Door 3 has an outer metallic face plate 12 and an inner Patented Nov. 6, 1956 confronting portions of frame 15 and frame elements 16 are beveled to allow snug wedging therebetween of door 3 when closed, and are provided with aligned recesses 17, 18, respectively, which extend substantially from end to end of said confronting portions.

Engaged to the faces of frame elements 16 is an air sealing member comprising a canvas sack or container 19 having its side portions in folded or doubled relation, as at 20, for securing the sack to the frame elements on either side of recess 18, and having its central or intermediate portion filled with a resilient material 21 such as sponge rubber and the like; said central portion being partially disposed within recess 18 and projecting therebeyond for insertion in recess 17 when door 3 is closed, whereby a reliable air-tight, sealing engagement is effected. The material forming sack 19 may preferably be rubberized.

Substantially intermediate shafts 4, 5, within convenient reach of an operator on the ground is an operating wheel 22 of a door actuating mechanism. Wheel 22 is mounted upon the outer end of a shaft 23 journaled in a bearing 24 provided in an opening 25 in outer plate 12.

The inner end of shaft 23 extends into insulating chamber 14 and fixed thereon is a spiral gear 26 meshing with a pinion 27 secured upon a horizontally extending rod 28 which has right hand and left hand threads extending inwardly from its left hand and right hand ends respectively plate 13 maintained in spaced relation, to provide an near pinion 27 for engagement within the internally threaded inner ends 29 of racks 30, 31 which are slidably supported by guide brackets 32 mounted upon the inner face of plate 12 and have their teeth 33 presented forwardly for engagement through openings 34, 35, in plate 12 with segment gears 36, 37, mounted on shafts 4, 5, respectively.

Bearing brackets 38, 39 are secured to the inner face of plate 12 for journaling of screw member 28 on either side of pinion 27. Segment gears 36, 37, for protection, are enclosed within enlarged sections 40, of brackets 41 secured upon the outer face of door 12. Racks 30, 31 adjacent their outer ends are offset inwardly at 42 to provide door-bolt forming ends 43 for extension through aligned openings 44, 45, in frame 15 and frame elements 16 to lock door 3 in closed position.

By means of spiral gear 26 and pinion 27 rotary motion of wheel 22 is translated to axial rotation of rod 28 for threading of unthreading, as the case may be, coaction with racks 30, 31.

Operation: Assuming door 3 to be closed, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, an operator will rotate wheel 22 in a clockwise direction with consequent threading of rod 28 into the inner ends of racks 30, 31, which will cause same to be moved inwardly, toward each other, withdrawing the outer or bolt-forming ends thereof through openings 45 to unlock door 3. As rack outer ends 43 moved inwardly through openings 44, engagement is made between rack teeth 33 and segment gears 36, 37 (Figure 4), whereby continued clockwise operation of wheel 22 will effect an outward movement of door 3 from opening 2, through rotation of shafts 4, 5, and the swinging of cranks 7 as may best be seen in Figure 5. In this position, door 3 is full open and may travel along tracks 10, 11 to allow access to the interior of the car.

To close door 3, the same is moved along tracks 10, 11 to a point opposite opening 2 whereupon the operator will rotate wheel 22 in counterclockwise direction to rotate rod 28 to move racks 30, 31 axially away from each other. During the first portion of such movement, shafts 4, 5 will be rotated through engagement of rack teeth 33 and segment gears 36, 37 to swing door 3 into opening 2 (Figure 4) and to cause tight compacting of the sealing member 19, 21. Upon continued anti-clockwise operation of wheel 22, engagement will be lost between segment gears 3s, 37 and teeth 33 so that no excessive stress will be applied to shafts 4, 5, and bolt-forming ends 43 of racks 3t), 31 will be driven through openings 44, 45 to lock door 3 (Figure 3).

Thus, the simple operation of Wheel 22 with minimum physical effort will overcome the resistance of door 3 to opening action and will completely remove the same from opening 2 and, similarly, by reverse operation of said wheel 22, door 3 Will be easily returned to fully closed position and locked therein. The invention thus described herein permits simultanous operation of shafts 4, 5, and provides an easily operated mechanism for developing the mechanical advantage requisite to accom' plish snug closure of door 3 and the opening thereof.

The details of construction can be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a door construction for a railway car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means or supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, including a pair of verticaliy disposed operating shafts having swinging crank me. .s thereon, a rotatable operating member mounted on said door, a pair of elongated horizontalmembers extending lengthwise of the door and slidably mounted thereon, a rod between said members having left hand and right hand threads engaging said members respectively, means operably engaging said threaded rod and operating memher, and means operatively engaging each of said members to an individual one of said crank shafts for rotation of the latter upon axial movement of said members by the rotation of said rod by said operating member.

2. a door construction for a railway car having a wall provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means for supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed operating crank shafts journaled on the door, a rotatable operating member mounted on said door, a pair of elongated axially aligned horizontal members movable toward and away from each other, a member having threaded engagement with said horizontal members, and axially aligned therewith, gear means engaging said threaded member and operating member, and means engaging each of said horizontal members to one of said shafts for rotation of the latter upon actuation of said operating member.

3. in a door construction for a railway car having a Wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means for supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed crank shafts, a rotatable operating member journaled on said door, a pair of elongated members siidsbie axially on said door toward and away from each other in a path normal to the axes of said shafts and the axis of said operating member, a threaded member intermediate said elongated members and having left hand and right hand threads respectively engaging the proximate ends of said elongated members, gear means engaging said threaded member and operating member, and means engaging each of said elongated members to an individual crank shaft for rotation of the latter upon actuation of said operating member and rotation of said threaded member.

4. in a door construction for a railway car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means for supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed crank shafts, a rotatable operating member journaled on said door, a pair of axially aligned rack members slidably mounted on said door for movement toward and away from each other in a path normal to the axes of said crank shafts, means operably engaging said racks and operating member, and a toothed member mounted on each shaft for engagement with the adjacent rack whereby simultaneous rotation of said shafts will be effected on actuation of said operating member.

5. In a door construction for a railway car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means for supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed crank shafts, a rotatable operating member journaled on said door, a pair of axially aligned rack members slidably mounted on said door for movement toward and away from each other in a path normal to the axes of said shafts, a threaded member intermediate said racks and engaging the proximate end of each, means operably engaging said threaded member and said operating member, and a toothed member mounted on each crank shaft for engagement with the adjacent rack whereby simultaneous rotation of said shafts will be effected on actuation of said operating member.

6. In a door construction for a railway car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening, of means for supporting said door and moving same bodily laterally into, and out of, said opening, a rotatable operating member mounted on the door, said door and the wall elements forming the door opening having aligned openings in their confronting portions, members movable toward and away from each other, said latter-mentioned members projecting through said aligned openings when at one limit of their movement, and means engaging said latter-mentioned members to said operating members whereby upon actuation of the latter in one direction said horizontal members will be withdrawn from said openings to unlock the door, and will be returned to locked position upon actuation of said operating member in the other direction.

7. in a door construction for a railway car having a wall provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close the opening, means for supporting the door and moving the same bodily laterally into and out of said opening including a pair of vertically disposed operating crank shafts journaled on the door and spaced lengthwise thereof, rack bars extending lengthwise of the door, each of said rack bars and a crank shaft being adapted for intermeshing engagement, there being brackets on the door slidably mounted on each of said rack bars for lengthwise movement, the upright edge of each door being apertured horizontally and the outer end of each rack bar being arranged to project through the apertures in the door upright edge and engageable with an opposed wall element.

8. A door operating mechanism for a railway car door adapted for movement into and from and opening provided in a wall of the car, comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating crank shafts rotatably journaled on the door, a horizontally disposed member associated with each shaft for movement toward and away from each other transversely of the shaft and having a toothed portion, a segment gear fixed on each shaft for engagement with the adjacent horizontal member, an elongated member having right hand and left hand threaded engagement respectively at its ends with said horizontal toothed members, a wheel-like operating member rotatable about an axis normal to that of the elongated threaded member, and gears operably engaging said operating member and elongated threaded member for effecting rotation of the latter members with consequent. travel of the horizontal toothed members and rotation of said shafts.

9. Ina door construction for a railway car having a wall member including frame elements forming a door 5 opening, a door body for closing the opening, a door operating mechanism for moving said door into and from said opening comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating crank shafts rotatably journaled on the door body, horizontally disposed members extending lengthwise of the door and individually associated with the shafts for movement toward and away from each other transversely of the shafts and each having a toothed portion, a segment gear fixed on each shaft for engagement with the adjacent horizontal member toothed portion, an elongated rod having right hand and left hand threaded engagement respectively at its ends with said horizontal members, said horizontal members being movable to project their ends remote from said elongated threaded member beyond the side edges of the door into position to engage a frame element for locking 6 said door in closed position, a driver rotatable about an axis normal to that of the threaded rod, and gears operably engaging said driver and threaded rod for effecting rotation of the latter with consequent movement of the horizontal toothed members between doorlocked and unlocked positions, and for effecting rotation of said shafts to move the door out of the door opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,117,492 Hufi Nov. 17, 1914 2,032,354 Dwyer Mar. 3, 1936 2,119,574 Dwyer June 7, 1938 2,453,793 Hreem Nov. 16, 1948 2,675,229 Anderson Apr. 13, 1954 

